Sen
by Lumy-san
Summary: Sen was never one to grovel over the past. But when her path suddenly intertwines with the Avatar, Sen knew she would be dragged into a war she never wanted to be a part of. "And here I am, thinking I can simply glide through in life by stealing from oblivious fire nation soldiers. Goes to show how wrong I was…"
1. Chapter One

**_Sen_**

**An Avatar: The Last Airbender**

**Story**

**.~.**

**Sen was never one to grovel over the past. But when her path suddenly intertwines with the Avatar, Sen knew she would be dragged into a war she never wanted to be a part of. "And here I am, thinking I can simply glide through in life by stealing from oblivious fire nation soldiers. Goes to show how wrong I was…"**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter<strong>

_One_

**.~.**

**_If You Can't Take the Heat, Don't Fight a Firebender_**

**_.~._**

It was extremely hot, hotter than Sen felt comfortable with and that the nighttime should provide. Of course, the reason for this could be due to the whip of fire being frequently directed at her, not to mention the fireballs constantly flying over her head. Sen swiftly wiped out a sai and slashed it across the chest of one of the fire nation soldiers, barley missing contact with his heavy armor. Moving to a safer distance from the enemy, she quickly reassessed her situation.

When Sen came across the camp of fire nation soldiers, she thought she'd hit the jackpot. It would be easy to sneak in and out with a few gold pieces unnoticed. The camp only consisted of twenty soldiers, most of them asleep at the time. Only three were on guard surrounding the fire. If they spotted her, she was sure she could take them out before they alerted the entire camp.

It seems Sen hadn't evaluated the situation to its highest extent though, considering the position she now found herself in. When a group of ten other soldiers showed up after scouting the forest area she knew she'd be spotted, and once she was the entire camp was awakened and ready to fight off the intruder.

_Well, everyone has their bad days_, she though dryly. _Guess this is mine_.

Sen glanced around the camp, taking in the position of all thirty fire nation soldiers. This wouldn't be the first time for her to get surrounded by the enemy when "on the job", but this would be the first against thirty soldiers, with more than half of them being fairly experienced firebenders. This might be a little tougher than she had thought.

"Okay, then," Sen said, backing up slowly. "Can't we work this out? It's not like anyone got hurt." One of the soldiers growled and glared at her, holding his hand across his chest. "Well, other than you, but…"

All of them started advancing toward her.

"Oh, come on! You could always just let me walk out of here and pretend nothing happened." She smirked deviously. "That way you won't be considered the laughingstocks of the fire nation when they figure out a _measly little girl_ stole quite a few gold pieces and got away with it." Sen opened her satchel, now full of a dozen bags of gold pieces, and waved one of the pouches back and forth mockingly, her smirk growing bigger. She knew it was a stupid idea to taunt them, but they probably thought she'd never even got a hold of any of their valuables before they noticed her. Sen couldn't just let them be smug about _that_. She was a lot better at this than most people tended to think. Call her arrogant, but she just _had_ to show it.

In a flash, burst of flames were aimed at her head. _Ah, well, I never was really good at talking myself out of tough situations_. Sen ducked, pulled out her other sai, and ran towards the closest firebender, prepared to attack. She had a feeling it would be difficult to get out of here without taking down a few of these guys first.

Sen always found it challenging fighting against benders, especially earthbenders, but over the years she has had a lot of experience with firebenders. Luckily, these guys had slow reflexes, so once one of them aimed at her with his fire, she was quick to dodge and swipe her leg out in a wide arc, hitting his ankles and knocking him to the ground. With a blow to the head he was out.

One down.

As she turned around to get focused on another enemy, more fire was launched her way, hitting her leg. Sen dropped down to the dirt to let the flame out before it burned her skin, just narrowly dodging another attack. She quickly got back on her feet and ran for the next soldier, her dark braided hair whipping behind her. The soldier was holding a long broadsword confidentially, ready for her approach. He may carry a weapon, but Sen knew better than to assume he wasn't a firebender. She's made that mistake enough times.

Sen slid down past him on her knees, missing the soldier's horizontal slice with his sword, but in doing so the satchel full of gold pieces received a large rip, dropping three bags by the firebenders feet.

Her focus went directly to the discarded bags.

_Do not go for it! The gold is not as precious as your life!_

Sen groaned, hating how she had to remind herself of that.

Right as she looked up the enemy's sword came down towards her head. She crossed both of her sai, barely blocking the hit. Pushing the sword away, Sen quickly moved back, trying to gain some distance from the soldiers coming towards her left.

Ten more minutes of fighting and she was getting exhausted fast. If she could just take out a few more she could probably make a run for it, but Sen didn't want to risk an opening to her back. Her lungs and heart seemed to be working double time, she was breathing so hard.

_Maybe I could just let them catch me and sneak away when their guard is down? _Sen shook her head. _No, I get the feeling holding me prisoner isn't what they have in mind. Not after the mess I've made for them_.

Sen needed a plan and fast. No matter how many times she tried to gain some distance away from the firebenders to think, it only seemed to give them the advantage. When she's up close in the fight it's easier for her to block all of the attacks with her sai, especially if the attacker is a bender. But from a distance she's useless against benders because she can't fight offense, which leaves her constantly having to dodge and waste even more stamina.

It was with that thought that Sen went after a firebender who kept shooting at her from a distance, near one of the tents. Once the soldier noticed she was advancing on him, his eyes widened in fear, leaving Sen under the impression he wasn't good at close combat. He let off another blast, but it was futile. Sen was already on him, kneeing him in the stomach and knocking the blunt end of her sai on his head.

After that Sen had decided on a simple and probably really insufficient plan. She would fight as close to the tents as she could in hope the firebenders would be stupid enough to hit and light them on fire every time she dodged. With any luck there would be enough fire created so she could make a break for it by hiding in the smoke. Sen didn't like the idea that she was risking setting the forest on fire, but she really could not think of anything else.

Sen yelped in pain as a fireball grazed her forearm. She looked at her arm, afraid her sleeve had caught on fire, when she saw another blast coming for her. In an attempt to get out of the way, she dropped to the ground. Sen must have been more exhausted than she thought because she wasn't fast enough to stand up before a foot slammed down on her back, hard.

The collar of her shirt was tugged to make her stand, causing her to let out a choking cough. Panicking, Sen starting thrashing her arms and legs around, hoping to hit the soldier with one of her weapons. Cold metal touched her throat and she stilled immediately.

"Drop your weapons," one of the soldiers growled. He stood in front her, arms ready to light her on fire if she so much as moved a muscle. Sen guessed the soldier who was holding her still was the one with the broadsword she didn't get the chance to take out.

Sen was about to spit out a "no" when the sword at her throat moved a little closer. She glanced down at her sais and reluctantly let go of them, knowing unless some miracle happens in the next few seconds she's done for.

The soldier smirked. "Any last words?"

She only glared at him, refusing to show any fear. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sen had known this was the way she would someday die. By the hand of an enemy. And the stupid part is, it wasn't even for a good cause, she wasn't fighting to save someone's life or trying to help put an end to the war going on. Nope, she was fighting and is now going to die because she wanted a few measly gold pieces, something she could have had if she would only go back home to her family. Sen refused to regret any of her decisions, but that didn't mean she wanted for things to end this way.

The soldier saw she wasn't going to speak. Slowly, he moved one of his arms back, ready to let out a blast of fire. She closed her eyes, knowing there was no way out of this. The seconds seemed to pass by slowly and just as the heat of the fire started to reach her face a gust of wind rushed over her, almost knocking her down if it wasn't for the soldier holding her back.

Sen's eyes snapped open, quickly taking in the scene. The firebender that was about to take her life was sprawled out half way across the camp. All of the soldiers stared at him in shock, wondering what had just happened. Wasting no time with the men distracted, Sen used all the strength she had in elbowing the soldier in the stomach and quickly biting his hand, forcing him to drop the sword. She stepped away and prepared to run when someone gave a hard blow to the back of her head, knocking her to the ground.

_What the…?_ Black dots started to blur her vision while another blast of wind passed by, hitting a group of benders. With the arrival of three new voices, Sen could only hope they were on her side as the world turned dark.

**.~.**

It was hot. Not extremely hot, but enough that Sen was starting to get uncomfortable. And now that she thought about it, Sen suddenly realized she was sick of the heat. There was no explanation she could think of as to why she was annoyed by it. The heat usually gave her a familiar feeling, one that reminded her of home. It typically gave her comfort and a sense of safety when she was feeling lonely.

Sen tried to ease away from the irritation by rolling onto her side. However, doing so only seemed to make things worse when the heat licked at her face and bright colors danced through her eyelids. The dark-haired girl gave up trying to ignore it and with a growl of frustration opened her eyes to the source of her problem.

Red, orange, and yellow appeared through her blurry vision and Sen jumped back in alarm, realizing all at once why the heat bothered her so much. Eyes moving rapidly, she searched for any oncoming fireballs directed at her while simultaneously reaching for a sai that wasn't there.

"It's okay, you're safe!"

Sen turned her head towards the voice, only to come face to face with a pair of concerned blue eyes. She blinked, trying to clear her head, and looked again. A girl, not much younger than Sen, kneeled in front of her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder to try and gently get her to lie back down. The thief refused to budge though, not until she was sure she was safe.

She glanced at the fire and noticed two other figures on the other side of the flames. One was wearing water tribe garments like the girl, and when she looked closer she noticed they had the same colored eyes and hair and shared the same nose. It didn't take much to understand he was the girl's brother.

Slowly, her eyes landed on the other boy, obviously the youngest one here based on his height and childlike features. Her eyes focused in on the blue arrows, not quite able to make sense of them due to her hazy mind.

Sen's head whipped back to the girl again as she spoke a second time. "How are you feeling?" The girl's hand left her shoulder, probably noticing she wasn't going to lay back down any time soon.

Sen opened her mouth, but no words seemed to make their way out. She let out a breath, having some sense of mind to stay quiet and attempted to remember what happened to put her in this current position. As the heat of the fire licked at her skin, fragments of images flashed through her head.

_The soldiers are gone_, she confirmed first, relief flowing through her body as her head started to clear up and she could comprehend what was going on. Her tense muscles loosened up after realizing the only ones with her now were children. But why were these three here and the soldiers weren't?

Sen should be dead.

She saw the fire coming towards her, felt the searing heat burn her skin, and then... She was knocked down?

She shook her head, knowing her memory wouldn't go any further.

The kids looked at her in question and Sen decided she might as well see if they had any answers for her.

"Where am I?"

The brunette sighed in relief as she spoke. "Don't worry; we're far away from the fire nation camp."

Sen blinked. "Oh."

"What where you doing around there?" the girl asked her cautiously. Sen tried to hold down the sudden annoyance at the question, noticing that the water tribe girl was only concerned for her and not suspicious. There was nothing to get defensive about.

"Yeah!" the girl's assumed brother spoke up accusingly, surely not on the same page as his sister. His voice was high and seemed to break at the end with a squeak. Despite her irritation at his accusing tone, Sen almost laughed as it occurred to her the boy must be going through puberty. "And what did you do to make those firebenders so angry? You're lucky we showed up in time for Aang to knock those soldiers away from you!" he scolded, gesturing to the other kid.

Sen glared at him, her annoyance growing as the kid reprimanded her when she was obviously older. He didn't even know her! But then his words finally hit her. She turned to the younger boy, watched as he waved and flashed a sheepish smile.

The sai user balked, wondering how such a little kid could have saved her from her eminent death. There hadn't been a single moment were she believed a miracle might come her way and save her from death by the hands of firebenders. But this boy, this little goofy boy that continued to flash Sen a goofy smile, _saved her_. She really thought she was going to die. How did he do it? How did he save her?

"How-" her voice broke. She tried again. "H-how did you save me? I was going to die there. I was supposed to die there, there was no possible way-" she stopped, knowing now that she was more affected by what had happened than she had thought. But it went by so fast there was no time to think about it. She just didn't want to die with any regrets.

But Sen realized she did have regrets. Many of them.

She looked back at the boy, knowing she owed him a great deal for what he had done. She would leave the 'how' for later.

"Thank you," she said, her voice solemn but full of immense gratitude.

"You don't have to thank me," he said, looking sheepish again. "I wasn't just going to stand by and let you get hurt."

_Hurt._

How naïve he is. Sen wouldn't have been hurt, she would have been _killed_. That was why she was so grateful towards him.

She shook her head. "No, I do have to thank you. I'm very grateful. I owe you big time, so if there is anything you need, anything at all, just ask."

The boy, Aang, waved his hands at her, mildly flustered. "No- no, you don't owe me anything. I'm just glad you're okay." He paused. "You are okay, right?"

The water tribe girl also looked at Sen intently, having been waiting for the answer to her first question, one Sen didn't give yet. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think. Just a little bruised. And really tired."

The older boy folded his arms, obviously not caring about her answer. "That's great and all, but you still didn't answer my question."

"Sokka!" the girl scolded.

Sen sighed, not caring to give him one either. It was the least she could do however. "I was stealing their gold pieces," she said bluntly.

The three stared at her, not believing her reason. After a moment of unwaveringly staring back, they caved in.

"What?!" the boy, Sokka, exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" the other two shouted, just as bewildered.

"Yes."

The girl looked baffled. "But- but! Don't you know how dangerous that is? You could have died!"

"And for just a few gold pieces!" Sokka pitched in.

Sen grumbled and looked away, folding her arms. "They weren't 'just' a few gold pieces."

"I can't believe anyone would be stupid enough to do that!" the water tribe boy continued.

"Sokka..." Aang started, looking uneasy while the brunette appeared annoyed by her brother. He was interrupted as the older boy spoke up again.

"We barely got out of there ourselves, and we only went into the fire nation camp because we were trying to save you. But you went in and risked your life so you could get some of their gold? I don't get it!" He threw his hands up in the air, exasperated.

A deathly worried expression crossed Sen's face, causing the group to stare silently at her in concern. Even Sokka quieted down. "Wait-" she said, looking them all intently in the eye, "are you telling me-" She paused, slowly trying to form her words. "Are you telling me you didn't grab the money?!"

They all deadpanned, wondering if the dark haired girl truly is insane.

Sen immediately got up and started pacing, ignoring the brunette's insistence for her to lie down. "I can't believe this! I went through almost dying and I didn't even get the gold?! That was supposed to get me through my travels to Ba Sing Sae _and_ pay for my living expenses when I got there! Now if I go I'm going to have to get a job and live in the lower quarter. There's no way I'm going to get another chance getting the money back. It's almost pointless to go now..." She sighed, and at that point her knees gave out from all the movement.

"Careful!" Aang caught her before she could hit the ground too hard and helped her back down on the sleeping bag next to the water tribe girl. "We're sorry. There were just too many firebenders. We didn't have time to stop and think about anything other than getting you out of there safely."

Sen quieted down, telling herself once again that at least she was alive. _My life is more important than gold._ Aang helped her sit down and as soon as he let go Sen laid back with a loud huff. _But the money..._

"No," Sen started in a mild begrudging tone, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to take what you guys did for granted. My life is more," she stressed out the next word, "_important_ than the gold."

She glanced up at them, noticing Sokka still looking at her like she lost her mind. _Eh, oh well._

"So," the water tribe girl drawled out somewhat awkwardly, gaining Sen's attention. "Why don't we introduce ourselves? My name is Katara. This is my brother Sokka and our friend Aang." She gestured to each of them. The group was silent for a moment as they stared at her, waiting. Sen realized it her was her turn to give her name.

"Oh! Ah, yeah. I'm Sen." She flashed them a cheesy grin and waved.

"Well, _Sen_," she frowned at the way Sokka said her name, "as nice as it is to know you're okay, we're kind of on a tight schedule and got to get going now. So if you don't mind," he said, moving his hands in a shooing gesture to get her off the fur blankets.

"Sokka! Stop that!"

"We have more important things to do than babysit some girl, Katara."

The siblings then began a full out argument, both of them getting louder after every shout. Sen rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, feeling somewhat bad for being the reason for all the yelling. But either way, she wasn't moving from this spot. Not like she really could. Her head was pounding after getting up and pacing and her legs wouldn't take her very far because of how weak they felt.

After hearing a few particularly rude remarks from the water tribe kids, Sen turned her head to the bald one. Their eyes connected for a brief second, but it was long enough for the dark-haired girl to tell this happened frequently and Aang usually had to solve it.

She watched as the boy sighed and walked over to the siblings.

"Hey, guys."

The siblings didn't seem to have heard him as they continued bickering, even after repeatedly trying to get their attention.

"Hey!"

A small gust of wind blew over the group. Sen held down her long braided hair, preventing it from smacking into her once again confused face. How did that happen?

Whatever happened, it got the siblings' attention instantly.

"It's going to be dark soon anyway so why don't we just camp here for the night?" Aang reasoned. He spoke again, sounding solemn this time. "We had to leave Kiyoshi in a hurry. Appa could use the rest. We all could."

Sen had no idea what Aang was talking about. Either way, the other two suddenly adorned sympathetic expressions, nodding their heads in agreement.

"Fine," grumbled Sokka reluctantly. He turned a pointed finger in Sen's direction. "But we split ways in the morning, got it?"

The outsider threw up her hands in defense, completely okay with the idea. "Okey-dokey."

* * *

><p><strong>Yay! New story to get in the way of my other two! ...Yeah. I just couldn't help myself. I think I'm at that point almost every writer reaches. The point where you just have to keep writing something new and different to get your creative juices going.<strong>

**Putting that aside however, I have been working on this story way before my Twilight one. And when the Legend of Korra came out, I slowly started to get back into it. This is also my first time writing in third person, with snippets of the canon characters perspective, so please bear with me and let me know if anyone seems out of character.**

**Also, the title picture was created by me. Obviously, it's a picture of Sen. I can't wait to start drawing more of her! You can see the bigger version of it on my deviantart page. I go by the same username or you can find the link in my profile. **

**I'm really excited about writing this story! And hopefully, if I can ever finish it, I already have plans to write a Legend of Korra fic set in this same universe. **

**So I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please review, favorite, alert, etc. As always, it's really appreciated! Feel free to ask me any question too. I'll get back to you through PM or leave a little section for answers in the next chapter, which should be out soon!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter**

_Two_

**_.~._**

_**Don't Look into the Face of the Avatar and Expect to Say 'No'.**_

**.~.**

Sen woke up shortly the next morning, her head clearer than it was the last time. This was proven when she didn't go entirely ballistic when she saw the enormous furry creature right next to her face.

It took years of training her instinctual reactions to stay calm and not scream like a banshee.

The creature slowly opened it gigantic mouth, revealing its gigantic tongue and gigantic teeth, before letting out a ferociously loud growl that released fowl breath and globs of spit in her direction.

_Screw training_, Sen thought with wide eyes, hastily scurrying backwards with a loud squeal.

"Don't worry! He's not going to hurt you," Aang shouted, rushing out of nowhere to stand between Sen and the creature. The boy smiled brightly. "This is Appa. He's a sky bison."

Sen stared blankly, not quite comprehending what he said.

Her mouth gaped open, astonished by the site in front of her. How had she not noticed it yesterday? Just as she was about to form some sort of reply, her head suddenly bent forward from the weight of something latching onto it. Alarmed, Sen whipped her head around, trying to throw whatever it is off.

Aang laughed. "And that's Momo."

"… A flying lemur…?" Sen wondered quietly when the creature leaned forward to look into her eyes with its own wide ones, its ears flopping down with the movement, before releasing its wings to fly circle around Aang's head. "But they're extinct." She slowly returned her eyes to the giant furry beast. "…And so are sky bison. They have been for almost a hundred years now."

Brain now hurting from severe confusion, Sen turned to look back at the bald kid. She could practically feel her stomach sink at the sight of his blue arrows. What didn't process through her hazy mind yesterday did now, and it left a cold sweat down her neck. Master Airbender. Which could only mean Aang is…?

"You're… the Avatar?" It was meant to be a statement, but somehow came out as a question. After all this time, the rumors were true…

The boy- The Avatar- seemed to freeze in place before letting out a nervous chuckle. Whether he was surprised at Sen figuring it out or just plain uncomfortable that she acknowledged it, the thief wasn't entirely sure. "Uh, yeah…"

His posture gave Sen the impression that he needed more of a reaction from her. Something to help him determine how she felt about it and where exactly they stood, she supposed.

So Sen just shrugged. "Okay."

Aang blinked, obviously not expecting such an answer. It made Sen ponder what type of reactions he receives from people who learn the truth about who he is. "O-okay..?" he repeated what she said, obviously confused.

"Yup." Aang opened his mouth to say something more, but Sen spoke up before him, not really in the mood to make a big deal about the whole 'Avatar' thing. She'd deal with the revelation later, when she's in a better mental and physical state. At least it explained the whole "strange gust of wind" thing yesterday. That's all Sen needed to know at the moment. "So where's the water sibs'?"

He made a gaping motion with his mouth at the abrupt change in subject. Thankfully, though, Aang realized she was asking a question and quickly answered. "Oh! Katara and Sokka went to look for food and fresh water."

Sen nodded, noting Aang was probably told to stay put and watch over her. Either it's because they are suspicious of her or because they are simply concerned for her health, Sen didn't know. But based on the two water tribe kids, she was almost positive it was a little of both.

"So uh, sky bison, huh?" Sen voiced, awkwardly trying to get a better conversation going as she gazed at the beast in contemplation. "Is it true? Do they actually fly?"

**.~.**

When the water tribe siblings returned to the temporary camp, an unusual sight greeted them. Sokka gaped at the scene, nearly dropping the nuts and berries he gathered and quickly fumbling to hold on to them all. Katara, meanwhile, looked at the odd pair with amusement, glad to see Aang back to his cheery self. She had been afraid it would've taken him longer to get over what happened back in Kiyoshi; even after Aang managed to put out all the fire to save the village.

Katara knew Kiyoshi wouldn't be the last time the Avatar brings danger with him where he goes. She understood this the moment Prince Zuko attacked her own tribe in search of him. Aang was only just starting to get a grasp on this fact, despite the water tribe siblings understanding it all too well. Katara supposed that was why her brother was being so unaccepting and skeptical towards Sen. Who knows what trouble she could bring their way? A part of Katara hoped, though, it was vice versa for him too. Deep down Sokka must be treating Sen harshly in order to push her away, to prevent her from facing the danger constantly following their group.

"Hey!" Sokka shouted up at the pair goofing off with Appa. "Stopping messing around up there! You could alert the Fire Nation to our camp!"

Sen popped her head over the railing of Appa's saddle, her long dark braid falling over her shoulder and her messy bangs shadowing her eyes. The thief grinned excitedly down at them while Momo flew circles above her head. "Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud. We're still hidden beneath the tree line. No one is going to spot us."

"Yeah! It's all good Sokka!" Aang piped in, grinning goofily at them from atop his air scooter.

Sokka glared at them, or more specifically, at Sen. Katara sighed.

Despite being able to lift Aang's mood, she wasn't quite sure what to think of Sen. They found her in a fire nation camp (of all places!) about to face her death. When Sen told them it was for their gold pieces, Katara thought it was a joke. But when the older girl didn't budge, Katara felt an intense need to shout some sense into her.

Their short interaction the previous night didn't give Katara much to go off of, but she was able to deduct that Sen was reckless, eccentric, and greedy. The way she thanked Aang for saving her, though, willing to pay back her debt at any notice, made Katara realize the thief had a strong sense of honor. An honorable thief. Katara almost scoffed at the thought. She disagreed immensely with the teenager's occupation. But now, seeing Sen get Aang to laugh, smile, and goof off while still being mindful of the outside dangers, Katara realized it's possible Sen really is a good person.

Now after thinking all of that, a part of her felt Sokka might be exaggerating his mistrust of Sen a little too much. But as his sister, she decided to help ease his frustration for the moment by calling the two troublemakers down. Besides, Sen should be using this time to rest.

"Breakfast time!"

Almost immediately after the words were said, Appa flopped down from the air and on to the ground, producing a puff of dirt from underneath him which caused Sokka to cough up violently. Sen giggled from atop the air bison, perfectly at ease despite the abrupt movement.

Aang glided down soon after, dispersing his air scooter and landing without a sound.

"Whaddya got?" Sen asked eagerly.

Katara could practically see the fumes being released from her brother's ears, knowing automatically he was about to start spewing out some rant about how they weren't going to share their food with some stranger. Luckily, she was able to keep Sokka's mouth shut with a well-directed glare.

"We found some nuts and berries," Katara answered, before continuing somewhat sheepishly. "We, uh, had to leave the last village in a hurry, so we didn't have the time to grab the supplies I bought."

Aang turned the other way, guiltily thinking about what happened on Kiyoshi Island. Katara made to comfort him, but realized it would draw suspicion. They didn't need word somehow getting out that Aang is the Avatar. Not after what happened in Kiyoshi.

The group focused back on Sen when she made a humming noise. Katara could practically see the gears running in her head and wondered what the thief was thinking.

The dark-haired girl let out a laugh, smiling understandingly at them. "I know what you mean. I'm on the run all the time! Don't worry, you'll get used to it. It can actually be pretty exciting sometimes. But I'm just a simple thief. I can only wonder how it must be for the Avatar."

It took the siblings a moment, but they soon comprehended what Sen said.

"What?!"

While Sokka sputtered out a few sentences of denial, Katara looked at Aang suspiciously.

He panicked. "I didn't tell her! She figured it out by herself! I swear!"

Katara, realizing what she had done, blushed in shame. She knew he was telling the truth. Aang had already learned his lesson of letting people know he's the Avatar. "Don't worry. I know you wouldn't tell her," she said reassuringly. Her apologetic smile seemed to ease the airbender's nerves.

Sokka grumbled. "I guess it's too late now." He abruptly turned towards Sen with a glare. "But don't think just because you figured it out, we'll let you go around telling the world!"

Sen raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Oh yeah? And how would you stop me if I did?" She shook her head amusedly. "But you don't have to worry. I have no intention of revealing your little secret. Not that you did a good job hiding it in the first place."

Aang laughed, obviously believing her. "Don't worry, Sokka. Sen won't tell anyone."

Katara felt a little uncomfortable with how quickly he came to trust Sen. But she knows Aang has a good since of judgment, not to mention Katara believed strongly in what her own heart told her. And it was telling her Sen was a good person. Despite admitting to being a thief, it was the Fire Nation she was caught stealing from after all. That had to mean something. Right?

Sokka, however, still wasn't buying it. But Katara could see her brother realized it really was improbable for them to stop her if she was lying, so he reluctantly changed the subject with a glare.

"Whatever. Just hurry up and get down from there! After breakfast, we," he pointed exclusively to her, Aang, and himself, "will be leaving. Got it?"

Sen rolled her eyes, but nodded in agreement. She made a stance, about to vault over the side of Appa's saddle, when she stopped suddenly.

Katara stared at the thief in confusion, watching as a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. Sen rubbed the back of her head with a discomfited chuckle, turning to address Aang.

"Uh, hehe. I don't suppose you could help me down, Aang…?"

Aang jumped at her request. "Oh, yeah!"

Sen rested on the edge of the saddle as if she was going to jump down while Aang made a slow circular hand motion, creating a gust of wind around Sen's torso similar to his air scooter.

As Sen's feet touched the ground gently, Katara wondered why she didn't just jump over the side, before realizing she mostly likely had an injury from last night they didn't find.

"I guess I was injured," Sen confirmed with a short laugh after seeing Katara's concern, obviously trying to make light of the situation. Katara cringed at the red, swollen ankle Sen revealed after rolling up her pant leg.

Sokka recoiled at the sight. "What were you doing, goofing of like that then?"

Sen shrugged, turning to pat Appa. "I've never seen a flying bison before. Of course I had to experience riding one." Appa let out a soft roar.

Katara quickly stepped in before they could continue changing the subject. "You should let me bandage your ankle for you, Sen. I'll get started on lunch afterward."

But the thief simply waved her hand airily. "Ah, don't worry. It's not that bad."

"It's not a problem. Really," Katara insisted. She wasn't just going to let the girl make her injury worse.

Sen stared a Katara for a moment, and then nodded her head. She must have realized Katara wasn't going to take no for an answer.

**.~.**

Well, this isn't good, Sen thought as she slowly moved her bandaged ankle. The boys were doing their own things somewhere off to the side while Katara cooked up some type of soup over the fire. Katara did a good job patching her up, but Sen still felt bad for having their limited supplies wasted on her. She had hoped to have gotten out of the fight with nothing more than a few scratches and bruises. When asking Aang if she could ride Appa, the boy enthusiastically said yes, but the moment Sen made to stand the intense throbbing pain prevented her from doing so, alerting her to the fact that she hadn't gotten off completely lucky. She had brushed off Aang's concern though, and asked the boy to help her get on the saddle as if it wasn't a big deal. But it is.

She knew she was screwed now. She couldn't very well go off on her own like this. It would be too dangerous and she would have a difficult time finding shelter and scrounging up food. Not to mention, the closest village was days away from here. She wouldn't be able to settle down safely until her ankle healed.

The thief slumped down dejectedly. At least she had her sais to protect her…

Wait. Sen looked up in panic, feeling her sides where she knew the weapons should be but weren't. _Where are my sais…?!_

She let out a loud cough, gaining the attention of the group. "By any chance, uh, would you guys know what happened to my sais…?"

"Sais?" Sokka repeated, looking away from the boomerang he was sharpening.

Sen's stomach dropped. I knew it… "Yeah. You know, a metal object that looks like a long dagger with two shorter prongs attached to the hilt? Otherwise considered a weapon? Should I define that too?"

Sokka pointed his own weapon at her with a glare. "I know what a sai is!"

Sen smirked. It was funny how easily he got riled up. _Though_, Sen contemplated, staring down at the weapon pointed at her, _there is something undeniable cool about using a boomerang as a weapon._

"No. We didn't know you had any," Katara answered, confirming what Sen already suspected.

The thief groaned and fell back. _Just great… So they were just left at the Fire Nation camp…_

Aang's head replaced the blue sky. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Peachy."

"What's your problem?" Sokka piped in.

Sen took a minute to think before answering. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

Aang began to appear concerned. "Are you sure-"

"Is the food done yet?" Sen interrupted, abruptly sitting up and addressing Katara, resulting in Aang losing his footing and falling back

The brunette started at the sudden question. "Oh, um, I guess it's good now."

Lunch turned out to be a lychee nut soup concoction. The group sat in a circle around the fire pit, eating in an awkward silence that was beginning to annoy the crap out of Sen. She knew it was because of her presence.

It seems as though Sokka couldn't handle it either, as he sipped the rest of his soup quickly and stood. "Okay! Let get going!"

He started walking around their little campsite, throwing things into a sack, even taking everyone's bowls and putting them in.

Katara glared at him. "Sokka! We have to wash them out first!"

Sen pouted when Sokka snatched her bowl away and poured out the little sip that was left. _I wanted that._

"I'll do it when we get to Omashu, okay? We've lingered here long enough as it is, Katara."

Sen stood with slight difficulty, knowing what was coming. Once Sokka put out the fire, he came to stand in front of Sen. "Well, it's been nice knowing you, but it's time for us to leave. Good luck with the whole "thieving" thing you got going. Don't get killed. See ya." He waved, then turned on his heel and walked towards Appa, throwing the sack up on the saddle before preparing to climb up himself.

Sen blink at the rushed farewell. She gazed at the other two out of the corner of her eyes, watching as they stood there looking conflicted.

The thief 'hmm'ed in contemplation.

Just as Sokka latched onto Appa's fur to climb up, Sen made a split second decision.

"Wrong."

The water tribe boy halted. He looked over his shoulder. "What was that?"

Sen shrugged nonchalantly. "You're doing it all wrong."

Sokka sighed and faced her. "Okay, I give. What is it I'm doing 'all wrong'?"

The smirk on her face obviously made him uneasy. Katara and Aang shared a look of confusion before focusing on Sen with interest. Her tone had changed from the lighthearted goofiness they began to identify her with, to an almost commanding, bold one.

"You're all on the run, right? I mean, even if I didn't figure that out after Katara saying you had to leave Kiyoshi in a hurry," she looked Aang directly in the eyes, "being the Avatar alone means danger is always going to follow you. People are going to hunt you down, even more so because of this stupid war. And your enemies won't just be the Fire Nation; people are going to hate you just because you're the Avatar." Sen thought back to the village to the south she had somewhat recently visited, remembering the blatant vengeance they expressed towards the Avatar, for reasons she figured were mostly illogical. "You have to play things smart. And based on what I've just seen, none of you have been."

"What exactly do you mean?" Katara asked, looking somewhat startled at Sen's serious attitude. Aang eyes appeared slightly wider at her speech, but he listened as intently as Sokka.

"I'll keep this simple, as you're so_ eager_ to leave," she said, gazing pointedly at Sokka. "To start, don't ever leave a trace of where you've been." She gestured to the campsite. "Obviously, the fire pit is the first priority. Don't ever just put the fire out, and don't think you're smart by simply scattering the ashes and leftover wood. The best thing would be to dig a hole where you're going to set up the fire, make sure you burn everything to ashes, that way you can quickly bury it.

"I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain footprints to you," Sen said dryly, gesturing to the ground where a myriad of impressions were easily noticeable. "Being an airbender creates a simple fix as I'm sure you realize. Leaving footprints gives your enemy a pathetically easy way to track where you've been and where you're going, even more so because your bison differentiates your group. And if you leave camp multiple times, never use the same path. Crumbling up the leaves on the bushes and trees, braking branches, flattening grass, et cetera, can be pretty obvious for a trained tracker or hunter, as it's easy for them to distinguish the difference between a human and an animal doing it."

Sen continued to explain further, the group looking at her intently. Katara listened with a worried expression while Sokka had a look of dumb realization, as if he knew this to begin with but never thought to apply it. And Aang… well, Sen felt a stab at her heart. He's just a boy… One with a look that clearly told her he carried the world on his shoulders. As if everything she was telling him added just one more thing to the list weighing down on him.

To her surprise, his expression changed though. Slowly, the _tiredgriefoverwehelming_ left his shoulders and he stood straighter, a little taller. Determination shined in his gray eyes.

Aang moved forward, stopping a very short distance from her. Despite being the one that spoke strongly and with great intent at the group, Sen could feel herself wanting to shrink away from the deep gray gaze of the boy in front of her. It was as if he was reading her soul, as if it was laid out clearly before him and at any moment he could easily choose to break it or fix it.

_But that's ridiculous to think_, Sen scoffed mentally. She inhaled slowly and returned the boy's look. "Don't go about this stupidly, Aang." _You can't afford to, there is too much at stake._

"Why don't you come with us?" Aang said slowly, as if testing the waters for himself. He nodded slightly after a second and Sen could hear the conviction in his voice when he spoke up again. "Come along with us, Sen."

Sen literally stepped back in surprise. She hadn't expected that. No, that's not entirely true. A part of her did. But all she had wanted to do was give them advice, a bit of a reality check. She understood the moment she connected Aang as the Avatar that his journey was going to be a long and difficult one, tied directly into this stupid war. A war she didn't want any part of.

Aang really is a sweet boy. Really. That's why she couldn't hold back giving him the advice. And above all, he saved her life. But she… she just…

"Aang! What are you doing?!" Sokka yelled. "You don't honestly trust her enough to let her come with us, do you? We know nothing about her! She's a complete stranger and a thief too!"

Katara stepped forward almost cautiously. "Aang… are you sure about this?"

Aang turned to look back at her, nodding firmly. "I am." He then looked down at his feet, an intense look of concentration on his face. "I'm not sure why, but it feels right for Sen to come with us. It couldn't have been just a coincidence the place I suddenly felt the need to land yesterday happened to be the Fire Nation camp where we found Sen." Aang looked up at the thief. "I was drawn there for a reason, and I think it was to save you."

Sen's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You felt drawn to my location?" she inquired almost sarcastically. That's ridiculous. Her right hand automatically traveled to her left wrist, touching gently to the spot right over her pulse. Sen contemplated what Aang said for a moment. But maybe… maybe it's not. He had saved her right before she was going to be torched to death. That couldn't have been just a coincidence.

Aang nodded, not paying attention to her tone. She could see a little uncertainty in his expression, reminding Sen once again that he was just a boy. Being this young, and the Avatar, he probably didn't have much knowledge. Sen would even bet he hasn't even learned, let alone mastered, all the elements yet either. Except maybe air, since he's obviously an Air Nomad. And then there was the Avatar State, something that relied heavily on the spiritual side of being the Avatar and a concept that even Aang would have trouble comprehending and controlling.

"I think you're supposed to come with us."

Sen scoffed, but even they could hear the conviction slowly leaving her tone. "I'm not supposed to do anything." I don't live that kind of life anymore.

"Please, Sen?" Aang looked up at her, his eyes wide and pleading.

The thief had to stop herself from releasing a sigh. It was too big of a decision to make on a whim, despite Aang making it sound so easy to just say yes. He was trusting her too much, too easily. Sen wanted to say it was just him being a naïve little boy, but she couldn't deny that maybe... maybe it really was some Avatar instinct.

But accepting his offer would go against everything Sen had been trying to accomplish. Namely, staying out of the war. And by going along with them, she would be stuck at the very heart of it.

Despite her mind screaming at her to refuse, her honor reminded Sen of the debt she owed the boy for saving her life. And, of course, that won out above everything.

But Sen knew she would have to compromise. She would help them out for a while; show them the ropes and how to make it by themselves while on the run. But she wouldn't stay too long, not long enough that Sen would be too deep, too involved. At least until she felt her debt paid off.

After a few more pleas from Aang, she spoke up. "Fine. I'll tag along, though I can't guarantee how long that will be." With one look at Sokka, she knew it wasn't enough to ease his mind. Sen sighed. "I owe you my life, Aang. So I swear on my own I will be loyal to you. But as I said, I can't promise I'll stick around long."

Aang jumped up excitedly. "Yeah, yeah," he said airily, brushing offer her last comment as if he knew she would ultimately change her mind. "But you're coming with us! That's great!"

Katara looked resigned, but otherwise willing to follow Aang's lead. "It would be good to have another girl in the group," she admitted, smiling at Sen.

Sokka looked up to the sky as if pleading to it, releasing a drawn out groan. "Fine, fine! But you better not hold us back."

Sen shook her head with a smile, wondering just what the hell she got herself into.

* * *

><p><strong>I hoped I did a good job with Katara's point of view, I figured she would be the easiest to start with.<strong>

**One thing that kinda bugged me with the series was the fact that these kids have no clue really about the real world. I kinda felt there should have been a character that worked somewhat as their guide, which is were Sen comes in! Even though she's very reluctant to travel with them... A reluctant guide lol. I suppose that's how she's going to be added into the group dynamic for a while now.**

**Anyway, what do you all think? You liking Sen? Not much will be known about her past for a while now, but I really hope her personality is showing well. **

**I'm a fourth way through with the next chapter. The Gaang will be getting back to the original plot next chapter and we'll be seeing how things go in Omashu with Sen now apart of the group.**

**Please review! I didn't get very much feedback on the last chapter so I'm sure what people think about this story yet...**

**Thanks for reading!**


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